Assemblywoman Shannon Grove floated the possibility of naming March as Aerospace Industry Month on Monday when she read a senate concurrent resolution on the Assembly floor in Sacramento.

“This resolution pays tribute to the aerospace industry’s historic, economic, security and educational contributions to the state of California,” Grove told the Assembly.

The resolution, SCR 16, would pave the way for the recognition once it passed through the Assembly floor.

The bill has already made its rounds through committees when it was initially co-authored by state Sen. Steve Knight (R – Palmdale) and 19 other senators, including state Sen. Jean Fuller and was introduced by Knight on March 13. Seven Assembly members also co-authored the resolution.

“The industry has had a matchless impact on national security,” Grove said. “It’s not just the numbers — which are impressive all by themselves — but it is how the aerospace industry makes a difference in the lives of all Americans.”

Grove sits on the Assembly Aerospace Select Committee, and has thrown her backing behind California securing an Federal Aviation Administration test and research designation for its unmanned aircraft systems initiative. She has supported the Inyokern-led Cal UAS Portal team seeking that coveted designation.

The UAS industry is projected to spur $13.6 billion in national economic growth between 2015 and 2017 if the FAA meets its Dec. 2015 deadline to integrate unmanned vehicles into the national airspace.

Over 10 years that means $82.1 billion and 100,000 well-paying jobs – $14 billion and 14,000 jobs in California alone.

Grove said the aerospace industry was a vital aspect to California’s economy and workforce, in which it provided 640,000 jobs directly or indirectly and injected $500 million in state revenue every year.

She drove home the point the aerospace industry would continue to provide a “reliable source of employment, innovation and export income” for the state.

“A strong aerospace industry is essential for California to compete in the global marketplace, maintain a highly skilled workforce and provide all Americans with the ability to travel safely and securely throughout the world,” Grove said. “These jobs are vital part of our economy and defense structure and the aerospace industry’s future is dependent on California’s continued presence industry.”